Ryan Reynolds Helps Reunite Woman With Incredibly Special Teddy Bear

Ryan Reynolds came to the rescue this week ― and it wasn’t as the Green Lantern or Deadpool.

The actor played a heroically generous role in the return of a stolen teddy bear to a Vancouver, Canada, woman. It wasn’t just any stuffed animal. The bear contained a recording of the voice of Mara Soriano’s late mother telling her she was proud of her daughter.

Reynolds got involved Tuesday, retweeting a CBC article about Soriano’s plight and offering a $5,000 reward for the return of the bear, “no questions asked.”

The bear and other items had been pilfered during a recent move.

Following Reynolds’ plea, Soriano reported that the bear had been returned by “two kind Samaritans” who found it.

That made the Canadian star’s day. “In happier news… thank you everyone who searched high and low,” Reynolds tweeted on Wednesday. “To the person who took the bear, thanks for keeping it safe. Vancouver is awesome.” 

Soriano, a 28-year-old storyboard artist, thanked the actor for his help in the stuffed animal’s recovery, writing that it “wouldn’t have been possible without your signal boost.”

She tweeted earlier that her mother Marilyn, who died of cancer last year, had made the Build-A-Bear. In a recording activated by squeezing the bear’s paw, her mom said that she loved her, was proud of her and would always be with her.

Soriano told CBC: “When you miss someone so much, sometimes you need to hear that.”